Maffessanti
POPULAR ITALIAN-JAMAICAN, Montego Bay builder/developer/-philanthropist, Giuseppe 'Pino' Maffessanti, well known in history as a Frenchman for all seasons.
To this there is a simple explanation:
Many people might think this humanitarian is Italian, based on the Italian ring to his name, but Mr. Maffessanti was born in Paris of an Italian mother, Margherita, who was a factory worker, and his dad, Andrea, a building contractor.
When Pino (short for Guiseppino) was still a baby, his father was sent to work in Africa on the 'Gold Coast' (now Ghana). World War II eventually started and conflict developed between the brutal Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, an ally of Germany's nefarious, totalitarian dictator, Adolph Hitler, against the rest of the world.
Pino, at age two, along with his family, moved to Bergamo, Northern Italy, in the region of Switzerland and Austria. He grew up there and came to Jamaica 14 years later. For Pino, the road to Jamaica had many twists and turns ahead.
ONE-WAY TO JAMAICA
"World War II ended in 1945 and my father chose to remain in Jamaica," Pino Maffessanti recalled. "He got a job as a mason at the old Shaw Park Hotel in Ocho Rios, and eventually sent two tickets for my mother and I to join him in Jamaica.
We arrived in Ocho Rios on March 7, 1951 speaking not a word of English, but we learned quickly from Jamaicans themselves and from translation dictionaries."
When they met in Ocho Rios, father and son were like strangers not having seen each other for about 15 years because of the war and Andrea's transfer to Africa.
FROM THE GROUND
"It was an incredible reunion a time of getting to know each other as I did not remember ever seeing my father before. We got along fine and he also taught me the trade! That's how it all began for me in the world of building construction!
"Those first few years were like hell no friends, a strange land, and a strange new language.
"However, from the start I knew I wanted to become a builder.
"While I had already gained some experience in my native country, my father taught me everything he knew and I expanded my knowledge, with correspondence courses in accounting, engineering and architecture.
"Then, one day I became a building contractor on my own steam, as part of my father's company, (Maffes-santi Bros)."
Pino Maffessanti's younger brother and only sibling, Onesto, had by now joined the family in Jamaica, and during the early '60s, they teamed up to form the Ocho Rios firm, Maffessanti Brothers a prominent and successful building contracting business and developers of prime resort and upscale residential real estate.
In 1965, Pino Maffessanti formed a land development company, Unity Limited, named for the upscale Montego Bay resort/residential district, where he still lives and holds real estate interests. Unity Limited today remains one of Montego Bay's most solid firms, and holds the record for construction of over 80 per cent of the breezy, trend-setting villas at Tryall Resort and many others including Rose Hall, Pimento Hill, Unity Hall, Great River and Tamarind Hill.
Throughout the years, the name 'Maffessanti' has become a household one throughout Montego Bay not only for elegant, tasteful villas, home designs and building construction excellence, but also for munificence.
BOARDS AND CHARITIES
Pino Maffessanti an avid Catholic sits on many local boards, including Montego Bay Community College, where he has been a board member and chairman of the building committee for the past 25 years.
In 1994, Pino Maffessanti spearheaded a group of homeowners and business people in the adjacent residential communities within the Unity Hall and Great River areas of Montego Bay, and established the Great River Charity Foundation to help children with educational needs.
The foundation currently assists over 60 students with such things, as tuition and uniforms. He also pays tuition for students attending university and the Montego Bay Community College, and has built and assisted in numerous educational institutions, including the Cornwall Gardens Basic School, and at the School of Hope at Catherine Hall for mentally challenged children.
HONOURS
In recognition of his bountiful benevolence over the years, Pino Maffessanti, J.P. was presented in 2001 with Jamaica's coveted Order of Distinction (OD). "I was deeply touched," he said, "and profoundly proud!"
Similarly, Pino Maffessanti holds Italy's most respected civilian honours: Knighthood, for services and contributions to uplifting the poor of that nation. The president of the Republic of Italy has knighted him with the distinction of 'Cavaliere della Repubblica' of Italy. He has been an active member of the Montego Bay Kiwanis Club since 1967.
Two of his three grown children Mark an engineer, and Nancy, an architect are involved in the family business. Alba, his other daughter, is a linguist and an editor of flight training manuals for Airbus Industrie and is currently living in France. Cementing the family is Pino's wife Daniela "a tower of strength, on whom I've leaned all these years, and my secretary/treasurer for my various charitable projects."
